In what's been a busy offseason for the Virginia football program in the transfer portal, the offensive line position may have been the busiest. The Cavaliers have now added more than a full line's worth of prospects through the portal as Arkansas State tackle Makilan Thomas decided to join the Wahoos.

Thomas announced his decision on social media.

Thomas is the sixth addition to the offensive line room this offseason. Monroe Mills (Oklahoma State/Texas Tech/Louisville), Kevin Wigenton II (Illinois/Michigan State), Tyshawn Wyatt (JMU), Brady Wilson (UAB), and Wallace Unamba (New Mexico/Kentucky) previously came to UVA as well. Mills suffered an ACL injury in spring practices, though, and is out for the season. Virginia also lost Blake Steen, Virginia's starting right tackle last season, as an outgoing transfer.

In other words, tackle remained a key focus for the Cavaliers in the portal. They picked up Unamba earlier this week, but landed Thomas as well after he visited Charlottesville. Virginia is trying to retool the offensive line to help improve on some critical numbers for the offense. UVA ranked 123rd and 132nd nationally the past two seasons in sacks allowed. In terms of scoring, the ultimate bottom line, the Hoos ranked 126th, 95th, and 107th over the last three years under Tony Elliott with a highwater mark of 23.3 points per game.

Thomas joins the reset as an experienced player from Arkansas State where he's logged at least one start in each of the last four seasons. That included the 2021 season when he started in the season finale, but still retained a redshirt for the season with appearances in only three games. Over the past three seasons, though, he had become a full-time starter for the Red Wolves.

The past two years in particular have been productive for Thomas. In 2023, he led the Sun Belt Conference offensive tackles with a pass blocking rating of 81.2 in the Pro Football Focus data where he was also the 16th rated tackle overall among Group of Five schools with a 67.8 grade. That season, he allowed only 1 sack. That led to Second-Team All-Sun Belt honors. This past fall, he allowed 3 sacks in 9 games as he ranked third on the team in pass blocking with a 76.5 grade.

The 6'3", 315-pound Arkansas native has experience at multiple spots on the line too. He has played left tackle, right tackle, and right guard during his career with the most time at right tackle. That should help him be a valuable depth piece at the very least as a player that can swing into any spot up front as needed. UVA will enter 2025 with at least 10 linemen that have previous starting experience with this addition as Thomas joins, Wigenton, Wyatt, Wilson, Unamba, McKale Boley, Noah Josey, Drake Metcalf, Jack Witmer, and Ethan Sipe in that category.

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